Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has said two persons suspected and tested for Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) turned out negative.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, who stated this while giving an update on COVID-19 during a stakeholders’ meeting with Chairmen of Local Governments, Community Development Associations and Medical Officers of Health of the 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas noted that the two suspected cases were from Ogun State.

Sanwo-Olu said, “We have been testing a few suspicious cases. In fact, we tested two yesterday, they were both negative and both from Ogun State. We are very much on the lookout; our index of suspicion is very high and we have alerted all our medical facilities both public and private to be cautious about anybody who presents with fever, cough, cold, difficulty in breathing, diarrhoea and body pains”.

While noting that the Stakeholders’ meeting was called at his instance, the Governor stated that the aim was to disseminate information and ensure that only accurate information about COVID-19 permeates through to the grassroots and gets to the nooks and crannies of the State through the Local Government Chairmen, Community Development Associations and the Medical Officers of Health.

“The purpose of this meeting was to disseminate as much information as possible to the Lagos communities through the local governments, the CDAs and CDCs down to the grassroots so that everybody is aware of the typical features of COVID-19 and ensure doctors at the local government level operate properly”, Sanwo-Olu said.

He emphasised the need for citizens to adopt high personal and environmental hygiene as precautionary measures against infectious diseases and tasked the Chairmen of Local Governments and Community Development Associations to step up public enlightenment and sensitisation campaigns on COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in their communities.

Sanwo-Olu advised residents to desist from spreading false and unverified news about COVID-19, stressing that the spread of fake news is inimical to the progress made in breaking the circle of transmission of the disease.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi said the contact list of the index case of COVID-19 in Lagos is over 100 and increasing daily.

Abayomi explained that the contacts being traced include 159 passengers on the aircraft, six people who came in contact with index case at the hotel, 35 people at the factory, two drivers and an ambulance driver.

According to him, “We have managed to identify all of these people except some of those people on the aircraft who have either gone back to Europe, other States or other countries or gave false information on their forms”.

“We are unrelenting in our quest and we are still trying to find the remaining passengers on that aircraft and every day we are finding more. Our contact list now is over a 100 and it increasing every day”, Abayomi said.

The Commissioner reiterated the need for members of the public to adopt and maintain respiratory hygiene, adding that handwashing is essential in guiding against being infected.

Lagos State House of Assembly has urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to strengthen sensitisation on
Coronavirus.

This was raised at the Lagos State House of Assembly under Matter of Urgent Public Importance by Akeem Shokunle representing Oshodi/Isolo 1 at todays plenary and seconded by Lukman Lukman representing Ajeromi/Ifelodun One.

Shokunle stressed the need for the Governor to implement the law passed by the 8th Assembly on Cancer And Diseases Control Institute.

Sanwo-Olu was also urged to direct the State Commissioner for Education to do proper awareness on Coronavirus in all public and private schools in the state.

Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, who thanked members for their contributions to the matter, stated that the Federal Government and Lagos State Government are working hand in hand to curb the spread of Coronavirus.

Obasa stressed that the state government needed to reach out to many organizations including the local government authorities, CDAs, CDCs, NURTW and others to educate them so that they could pass information to the people.

Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti Osa 2) stated that people should stop spreading fake news about Coronavirus.

Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo has called on public and private Schools Head Teachers and School Administrators, as well as pupils and students in the State to adopt prompt preventive measures against the outbreak of the Corona Virus disease in Schools.

This was disclosed in the wake of a recent detection of the index case of the Corona virus disease and the placing in a quarantine of patient in Lagos State.

According to her, this becomes imperative In case of any eventuality in a bid to prevent and contain any possible emergence of an outbreak of the disease and any other infectious diseases spreading in the State.

While urging them not to panic, she reiterated that the State Government has outlined plans and strategies to avert a possible outbreak averred in the densely populated areas which hitherto harbours and maintain virile trading routes with the large number of foreign nationals.

Concerned about the health and safety of students and pupils, as well as their teachers, the Commissioner explained that the State Government, through the Ministry of Health, recently activated an Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) which is the command and control centre where possible suspected cases are screened and to coordinate operational information and resources for the strategic management of emergencies in preparation against infectious diseases.

Also, the Biosafety Laboratory located at the Lagos Mainland Hospital, built to ensure effective management of infectious diseases has fully commenced operations, just as surveillance activities are being intensified across the State to fast track the diagnosis and management of infectious diseases whenever they occur.

In her explanation, she mentioned the signs of Corona Virus which causes upper respiratory infection with symptoms like, stuffy nose, sore throat and cough, adding that this disease could spread through contact with infected persons’ hands, face or by contact with objects infected persons have handled.

Adefisayo advised Heads of Schools and Administrators to provide clean wash hand stands with water and soap alongside alcohol based hand sanitizers at designated points within their School premises to prevent possible spread of the disease.

She added that students and teachers should keep their hands and fingers away from their noses, eyes and mouths and to avoid contact with suspected infected persons.

While allaying fears, she advised that same measures should be replicated in homes and assured parents, teachers and School Heads of the State Government’s preparedness to prevent and contain the outbreak of the virus.

She further stressed the importance of maintaining a high level of personal and environmental hygiene as most of the dangerous pathogens are zoonotic infections which comes from the food chain and environment to infect people.

In her conclusion, she stated that if anyone should suspect any individual or persons having traits of the Virus, such should report to the nearest authority concerned.